


Just Like You

by amberxwrites



Series: Hollyoaks Oneshots [9]
Category: Hollyoaks
Genre: M/M, can they just get together already, didn’t include jordan cause i don’t wanna kill him off, george is only here cause he’s a policeman i still hate him, i like picturing them sharing their life stories, i miss brendan and doug, love making everything depressing, not really romance but it’s implied, please don’t read if you’re gonna get triggered, rape is only mentioned don’t worry, rewritten version of recent events, ste doesn’t appear for half of it, still obsessing over a ship that barely exists, they’re actually really similar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:34:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28430982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amberxwrites/pseuds/amberxwrites
Summary: After James is sure everyone he and his family cares for are safe, he heads to the Lomax household to hide from Victor and ends up swapping stories with Ste.
Relationships: Brendan Brady/Ste Hay, Doug Carter/Ste Hay, James Nightingale & Juliet Quinn, James Nightingale & Marnie Nightingale, James Nightingale & Romeo Quinn, John Paul McQueen/James Nightingale, Juliet Nightingale/Peri Lomax, Juliet Nightingale/Sid Sumner, Ste Hay/James Nightingale
Series: Hollyoaks Oneshots [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2019205
Kudos: 4





	Just Like You

**Author's Note:**

> another nightinghay one for my lowkey obsession

"James! James!"

I whipped around to see my little sister running towards me, visibly distressed.

"Juliet? What's wrong?" My eyes widened as I caught sight of a nasty looking gash on her cheek.

"What the hell is going on?"

"It's Victor. I tried to record him admitting to controlling County Lines to get him sent down, but he caught me."

"Victor's back?" I frowned, thinking back to how I paid him to disappear. He promised me he'd stay away from Juliet.

I'm a lawyer. I should've known better than to trust a criminal.

"He took your money but he made me keep dealing. James, this is serious. He said he's gonna kill someone I love."

I grabbed my phone from my pocket, dialling 999.

"What are you doing?"

"What I should've done months ago - phoning the police."

"Not until I know everyone's safe. If you spook him now, it's just gonna make everything worse. He's already out for blood. He's got nothing left to lose."

I was panicking. My family's lives were at stake here. One wrong move and I could be burying my mother or my son or my sister. I had to be tactical about this.

"Leave it to me. Just go and find Sid and Jordan. Make sure they know that Victor is on the warpath. I'll make sure everyone is safe."

She nodded, charging up the stairs towards the Lomax household. I had just decided to head to the Dog to warn everyone, seeing as they'd all be there for Tom and Yazz's wedding, when I heard his raspy voice.

"I wouldn't go to the police if I was you. I wouldn't be very happy with that. You don't want to make me mad, do ya?"

I slowly turned to face him, meeting his cold gaze with a glare of my own.

"Stay away from Juliet. She's just a kid. If you've got any issues, take it out on me. Keep my family out of it."

"Now, you see. I can't do that. Your ratty little sister brought you and your family into it the moment she tried to betray me. What kind of boss would I be if I let her get away with her disloyalty?"

I bit my lip, swallowing my nerves. He was just a kid himself. I had to come out on top.

"Fine. Juliet and I. But why must you come after our loved ones? Surely they're of no interest to you."

He looked down, not-so-discretely revealing the knife in his pocket as he stretched.

"I haven't decided who I'm gonna be putting in a bodybag just yet. Maybe you. Maybe Juliet. Maybe your son. Or your mother. Or maybe someone else entirely-"

"You're sick-"

"Who's that McQueen girl he's so obsessed with? Cher? Maybe I'll pay her a visit too. And her cousin. I hear you had a thing for him, correct?"

"Stay away from John Paul." I growled, but he ignored me.

"Or perhaps Juliet's little girlfriend Peri. Or Sid, her cripple of a foster brother. And his cousin. Jordan isn't of much use to me nowadays. Oh wait, your mum has a new best friend, doesn't she?"

"You won't touch any of them."

"How are you gonna stop me?" He shouted, taking a step closer. I took one back, swallowing a gulp.

"Because you don't need any unnecessary blood on your hands. Juliet is your problem, not them."

He stared at me for a second before his posture relaxed slightly, eyes dark and boring into mine.

"This isn't over."

And with that, he left.

I let out a breath of relief before continuing on towards the Dog, making sure everyone was safe being my top priority.

~~~

"You may kiss the bride-"

The door slammed open, everyone staring at me in shock at my entrance. My eyes scanned the crowd, eyeing Marnie sitting at the front near Romeo, who was stood beside Tom as his best man.

"Mother, Romeo, get home now! Lock the doors and close the blinds."

"What's going on?" Romeo raised an eyebrow, each and every guest looking towards me in confusion.

"There's no time to explain, but this is serious. We're all in danger and if you don't get to safety now, you could die."

They both sprang into action, each making a swift exit. I scanned the room once more, trying to decide who was at risk and who was not.

"Leela, Peri, you two head home too. Lock the doors and close the windows. Juliet and Sid should already be there." I had my doubts about sending them home, given that Victor was well aware that they lived there. But we didn't have time to sort out housing arrangements.

"Misbah, you better go home too. Just to be safe. You're rather close with my mother."

As she left, I caught sight of John Paul and George in the crowd.

"John Paul, where is Cher?"

"She's upstairs, why?"

I ignored my immense hatred for George, deciding it would be better for everyone in the long run if they had a policeman with them.

"The two of you need to hide as well. Bring George with you for protection."

_Even though he's probably just as dangerous as Victor._

Deciding that I'd reached out to everyone who was at risk, I turned my attention to the rest of the room.

"None of you are in any immediate danger, but try and stay together. We can't be too sure."

"James, what's going on?" Nancy asked, the room muttering in agreement at her query.

I sighed, running a hand down my face. "Juliet has been dealing drugs. She's been trying to get out for months, but now her boss is angry and out for blood. There's no limits when it comes to him and if we're not careful, lives could be lost."

I left after that, checking in on Romeo and my mother before heading to where I was really needed.

~~~

I knocked on the door before realising they were probably petrified by this point.

"It's James." I called, the door swinging open moments later. Leela stepped aside, allowing me to come inside before locking it once again.

"Is everyone okay?" I asked, spotting Ste standing in the kitchen, mug in hand. Juliet was sitting on the sofa with Peri and Sid, looking worse for wear.

"We're fine. What's going on?" Leela asked. The teens looked down in shame, Ste looking just as lost as his sister.

"I can't tell you. After all this is over, we'll sit down with the teens and explain everything. For now, we just need to make sure we stay safe."

"Shouldn't you be at home with Romeo and Marnie?" Juliet spoke up quietly. I moved closer, Sid and Peri shuffling to the side so that I could crouch down in front of her, taking her hand in mine.

"You need me more right now. I'm not gonna give up on my sister."

She smiled before pulling me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around her, the strong parental feeling of wanting and needing to protect her making an appearance yet again. I glanced up, catching Ste staring right at us, a small smile on his face. I felt my cheeks heat up as I pulled away, pushing myself back up to my feet. Peri leant into her, resting her head on Juliet's shoulder as she linked their arms. I smiled, Leela ushering me into the kitchen.

"Where's Jordan?" I asked. They both shrugged. I had a gut feeling that he wouldn't make it through the night, but I didn't really care to be completely honest. Juliet was my main priority.

"I'm gonna go feed Daniel." Leela announced, grabbing a bottle before jogging upstairs. Ste handed me a mug of coffee and I took a sip, thanking his quietly as I leant back into the counter beside him.

"You really care about her, don't yer?"

I nodded.

He grinned, taking another sip.

"It's weird. I've never seen yer so parental before. It suits yer."

I chuckled. "John Paul said the exact same thing."

"Well, he's been waiting four years for yer to make this kind of commitment."

If only things had worked out between him and I.

I shook my head. "He's happy with George. I respect that."

We went quiet once more, watching the domestic couple cuddling on the sofa, Sid eyeing them in obvious jealousy.

"Sid still loves her, doesn't he?" I mumbled.

Ste nodded. "Truly, madly, deeply."

"Shame things didn't work out. Although I must admit I do feel a slight sense of pride at the fact that my homophobic sociopath of a father died before he could learn that he had brought up two queers."

Ste let out a laugh, gazing at Peri with a small smile.

"Me dad was bisexual so I'm not sure he'd be overly bothered. It did shock me to learn that our Pez is bisexual though. Must be a family thing."

I smirked. I had always had a slight feeling that my mother wasn't completely straight, but I had never mentioned my theories to her. She could identify as anything she wanted. As long as she was happy.

Although it would just add to the joy if Mac's ex wife turned out to be yet another queer.

"So this Victor kid, is he as dangerous as we're making 'im out to be?"

I cleared my throat.

"He's ruthless, that's what I know for sure. He has nothing to lose and he's certainly not scared to risk everything to eliminate a potential threat. Maybe not the most dangerous criminal out there, but he is a threat. A big one."

He turned towards the counter, lowering his mug into the sink.

"I wish I could say this is the most dangerous situation I've ever been in, but it's not."

"What is?"

He shrugged. "Maybe being tied up, kidnapped, and almost pushed off a cliff by a dangerous racist."

Of course I knew about Stuart, Jonny and the Far Right organisation. But unlike others, I didn't blame Ste. He had been groomed. It wasn't his fault.

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I got this one out of it, didn't I?" He smiled, gesturing towards Sid.

"And anyway, I reckon I've been in more danger than that."

"How so?"

He took a moment to think before giving his answer.

"I was in an abusive relationship with a guy called Brendan Brady. Being with 'im was me risking me life every day."

"I'm- I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's fine. I loved 'im. I still love 'im. He wasn't a bad person, just misunderstood. A bit like you. His dad abused 'im and it made him cruel. And the bruises weren't that bad. I had enough practice with me dad."

My eyes widened. "Your dad abused you?"

How did I not know this?

"Step-dad." He correcting, pointing towards a picture hanging on the wall. Judging by how young Peri looked, I assumed this was taken about five years ago. It was a big smiling family picture of him, Leela, Tegan, Peri, and a silver fox I didn't recognised. I assumed it was his dad.

"Danny- me dad- was a good guy. Sweet. Charming. Too cheeky for his own good." He chuckled to himself, admiring the photograph in awe.

"He was a bit weird all things considered, seeing as he tried to kiss me before realising he was me dad."

I laughed, allowing him to continue.

"But he was me dad and I loved 'im. He didn't deserve to die the way he did. He never did nowt wrong, besides having an affair with John Paul behind his wife's back."

I almost choked on my drink. "Your dad slept with John Paul?"

He nodded, letting out a laugh. "Me and me dad found 'im tied to the banister one night. Robbie and Finn had done it to humiliate 'im."

The air thickened at the mentioned of our ex boyfriend's rapist. We shook it off and moved on before we could dwell on it any further.

"John Paul slept with Brendan too."

"Wow."

It was absurd how intertwined their lives were.

"I also almost died in a house explosion. Sinead accidently brought a bomb to a house party. I lost me husband Doug."

"I didn't know you were married before John Paul."

"Three times in fact. Doug and I had a double wedding with Tony and Cindy. A bus crashed through the venue and I spent a short while in a coma. Come to think of it, John Paul also dated Doug for a while after I got back with Brendan. Maybe we were destined to be involved."

I was right when I told Harry that Ste was one of the strongest people I knew. He had been through all of this and yet he was still fighting.

"How about you? Any life threatening situations?"

I thought for a moment. "A few. I guess you could include being held hostage by Finn after he knocked me out in prison."

He let out a gasp. "I didn't know that."

"Of course you didn't." I grinned. "You were too busy sleeping with my boyfriend."

He frowned, a look of guilt plastered over his face. I smiled slightly, happy to know he at least felt some remorse for what he did.

"Yer got back at me by sleeping with Harry."

I nodded, chuckling. "That I did."

"I haven't really been in any real life threatening situations. My father did hire Breda to kill me, but she gave me a non-fatal poison and murdered him instead."

"I heard about yer breakdown outside the hospital. You okay?"

I let out a breath. "It was just overwhelming. I knew I'd never get the love I craved from him, but his death wiped out any possibility of him ever changing his mind about me. I'm better off without him but, I don't know... it hurt."

"I get that."

"Other than that, the only life threatening situation was my own doing. I tried to kill myself after Harry's death."

"So did I. After losing Doug. He once said anywhere I go, he follows. So I thought I should follow 'im too."

"That's heartbreaking."

"Yeah."

"You guys are actually getting on?" Peri spoke up, breaking the moment. We had been staring at each other in silence for a few seconds, soft smiles on both of our faces. I hadn't even realised how close we had gotten until she pulled me out of my daze.

"Yeah, I guess we are."

He smiled at me and I smiled back.

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on wattpad @randys_sidechick


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